EEL TRIVIA: EEL FACTS

Eels are one of a only a few species of fish that can swim backward.

Freshwater eels account for 1/8 of global aquaculture production.

All eels from around the world return to the Saragasso Sea, between Bermuda and Puerto Rico, to spawn and then die. The eggs hatch into larvae with large teeth. As the larvae are carried by currents, and as they drift they change into a more eel-like form. When they reach about 2 inches in length, they move into freshwater rivers and streams where they remain for several years as they grow into mature eels.

Eels are a popular food in Europe and Japan, and eel fishing is an important commercial fishery.

The European Eel, Anguilla anguilla and the American Eel, Anguilla rostrata are nocturnal freshwater fish that prefer muddy bottoms.

Unagi Pie is a specialty of Hamamatsu, the largest city in Shizuoka, Japan (nearby Lake Hamana is famous for eel farming). They are an 'eel cookie'.